Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 225 The Ape (Part 2)

"A beast, just a beast,"

Lu Shang stared indifferently at the ape-man beneath his feet, then pressed down with his right palm. The ape-man's body collapsed with a roar, and the ground cracked.

Demon blood gushed from its seven orifices, and the sound of bones shattering filled the air, eventually turning into a blurry mass of flesh and blood.

"To wear a crown while being a monkey is still to be a beast!"

Lu Shang exuded a chilling aura, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze. The mangled remains of the ape-man were deeply embedded in the crack in the ground.

"kill!"

Xiao Ji snapped back to his senses, suppressed the surging blood in his chest, and swung his sword to kill the Qiang soldiers.

"kill!!"

Following Xiao Ji, five hundred Liangzhou cavalrymen roared in unison, their voices echoing through the valley. They charged forward, men and horses becoming one, leaving a trail of blood and flesh in their wake.

The flickering firelight illuminated Lü Shang's handsome face as he slowly withdrew his hand and stood in the center of Gongmen Village.

Suddenly, three dark figures rushed out from among the Qiang people, carrying a chilling killing intent as they attacked Lü Shang.

"Kill this Sui dog! Kill him!"

As soon as the three of them charged out, they brought with them a strong smell of blood and gore, the stench of which swirled and carried withered leaves close to the ground.

"kill!!"

Three dark figures landed, accompanied by a few shrill ape-like cries. The campfire in the village made their short hairs stand on end.

"Kill me?"
Lu Shang's brows remained unfurled as he said, "You think you're worthy?"

Before the words were even finished, the three ape-men had already pounced forward, their muscles bulging beneath their short hair, and their three iron rods whistling through the air.

Lu Shang raised his left hand and caught the iron rod that was about to smash into his face.

clang!
A muffled thud made people's eardrums hurt, and the iron rod was nailed to the ground in mid-air.

Then, Lü Shang exerted force with his wrist, his five fingers gripping the iron rod like a pincer.

clang! clang!
The two crisp sounds almost overlapped, and sparks flew everywhere.

Lu Shang twisted his wrist holding the iron rod, and the iron rod swept horizontally, crashing into the other two iron rods that were attacking at the same time.

The force of the sweeping iron rods far exceeded the three monkeys' expectations, and the two incoming iron rods were knocked out of their hands.

Before the ape-man on the left could recover from the shock of his weapon being knocked away, Lü Shang had already thrust forward with the iron rod in his hand, the end of the rod striking him heavily in the chest.

Boom!
The ape-man's sternum collapsed, and crimson demonic blood gushed from its gaping mouth as its massive body flew backward like a tattered sack.

Seeing his companion die a horrible death, the ape-man in the middle became even more ferocious. He pounced with his bare hands, his sharp claws aimed straight at Lü Shang's face.

With a flick of his wrist, Lü Shang swung the iron rod horizontally, and with a crisp snap, the ape-man's right arm broke off, the white bone piercing through the flesh.

Before it could let out a miserable howl, Lü Shang had already placed his left palm on its skull.

Seeing that things were not going well, the last ape-man turned to escape, but his neck was suddenly tightened as Lü Shang grabbed him with his five fingers.

No matter how much it struggled, its short hairs stood on end like needles, and its limbs kicked wildly, it remained motionless as if locked in an iron clamp.

Lu Shang's eyes were indifferent. With a slight twist of his wrist, a crisp sound rang out, and the ape-man's neck bone was snapped, his head drooping limply on his shoulder.

"The small Gongmen Village has mobilized four ape-men. It seems these rebellious Qiang have quite the appetite!"

He looked at the four half-demons he had killed and muttered to himself.

Among the Qiang people, there are half-demons, or even half-human, half-ape hybrids, which is not uncommon in the Northwest.

People say that dragons are inherently lewd, but little do they know that apes are even more so. In the high mountains of southwestern Sichuan, there is a kingdom called Jueyuan.

These apes can walk like humans, are good at chasing people, and enjoy robbing other men's wives. Among the Qiang people, there is a large surname called Yang, which is said to be their descendants.

Just as Lü Shang was pondering this, the Qiang soldiers of Gongmen Village had already begun to flee.

After all, in just a few breaths, all four Qiang generals had perished at Lü Shang's hands. The remaining Qiang soldiers in the stronghold, seeing this, dared not resist any longer and fled, abandoning their armor and weapons.

Xiao Ji then led five hundred Liangzhou cavalry to launch a surprise attack, their hooves trampling the mess on the ground, their shouts of battle echoing through the valley.

As night deepened, the embers of the fire flickered among the broken walls, their crackling sounds mingling with distant wails.

Xiao Ji reined in his horse and turned around, blood dripping down the blade. He saw Lü Shang standing in the camp, dismounted, and strode forward, saying, "My lord, the remnants of the Qiang bandits have fled towards the pass. I have ordered fifty riders to pursue them."

There's no need to pursue it relentlessly.

Lu Shang raised his hand to stop Xiao Ji from speaking, saying, "Let's recall everyone. We'll stay at Gongmen tonight and return to Qingshui tomorrow."

"Yes,"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ji immediately turned around and summoned his cavalry general, ordering him to quickly chase after the fifty pursuing riders. The sound of hooves echoed rapidly into the distance.

"My lord,"

After Xiao Ji finished arranging the defenses, he turned around and saw Lü Shang squatting next to the ape-man corpse whose neck had been broken, his fingers pinching a tuft of blood-stained short hair, his brows slightly furrowed.

After watching for a while, Lü Shang stood up and sighed, "No wonder the Qiang people could occupy Longyou for a thousand years, and even Emperor Guangwu of Han could not control them."

"The Qiang people were able to send out four ape-men from just one Gongmen Village. Their strength is indeed not to be underestimated."

Although Lü Shang killed the four ape-men in just a few breaths, it doesn't mean the ape-men weren't strong; rather, it means that Lü Shang, a martial arts master, was incredibly powerful.

On the battlefield, he was an exceptionally powerful being, which allowed him to crush these four ape-men so easily.

If it were anyone else facing these four ape-men, unless they had already undergone marrow and blood transfusion, ordinary martial artists would have no chance against them.

Don't underestimate the realm of marrow refining and blood exchange; most of the heroes in "The Story of Tang" were at this level.

Even Li Yuanba, who was not human, was at this level.

Refining marrow and exchanging blood is a crucial step in breaking the shackles of the physical body. It involves using qi and blood to flush out the bone marrow and replace all the turbid qi in the flesh. Ordinary martial artists may not be able to reach this level even if they spend their entire lives doing so. In the entire Helong army, there are only three or four people who can reach this level.

This is terrifying; it shows how powerful the Qiang people were.

Xiao Ji and Lü Shang stood in the open space, lost in thought. They stepped forward and whispered, "My lord, the intact wooden house in the east of the village has been cleaned up and covered with dry grass and a thin blanket. Why don't you go and rest there?"

"I've arranged the night watch. The camp will be patrolled every fifteen minutes, with twenty riders taking turns. There will be no mistakes."

Lü Shang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the Liangzhou cavalry resting in the camp.

The cavalrymen were wiping the bloodstains off their armor with cloths, their faces showing exhaustion after the bloody battle.

"You should go and rest too. You don't need to stay here guarding. The brothers have been fighting all night; let them take turns resting."

"Yes,"

Xiao Ji responded and turned to instruct the patrolling cavalry.

After Xiao Ji withdrew, Lü Shang slowly walked towards the wooden house.

After pushing open the door, moonlight shone through the window cracks, leaving a silvery line on the ground.

By this light, Lü Shang sat on the spread-out hay, took out the fragment of the "Suwen" hidden in his bosom, and gently stroked the bronze fragment with his palm.

"Humans are born from the energy of heaven and earth, and are formed by the laws of the four seasons."

As he gently stroked it, the ancient seal script on the tattered page seemed to shimmer with a faint glow between the strokes.

The Emperor said, “I have heard that Heaven is Yang, Earth is Yin, the Sun is Yang, and the Moon is Yin. A year consists of 360 days, with both long and short months, and people should follow the same pattern.”

"Now, the three yin and three yang do not correspond to yin and yang. Why is that?"

Lu Shang's fingertips traced the bronze fragments, his mind gradually sinking. All the surrounding noises faded away, leaving only a glimmer of inspiration flickering in his mind.

As the moonlight slanted, Lü Shang sat motionless, surrounded by a faint aura.

(End of this chapter)